Exercises: Tools for organising ideas: visual thinking

Explain what visual thinking is and state two advantages of communicating a business idea with a diagram rather than a lengthy text.

Distinguish between a mind map (ideas radiating freely from a central point) and a concept map (concepts linked by connecting words), and justify which you would use for an initial brainstorming session and which for studying a textbook topic.

The figure shows a mind map for a business idea: an eco-friendly food truck. Propose the missing branch, marked with "?", and add two specific ideas that would branch off it.

You have a two-page text explaining how the franchising system works. Describe the steps to convert it into a useful visual diagram (reading, identifying key ideas, prioritising, choosing a structure, and drawing) and what type of diagram you would choose for this content.

A team documents its meetings with multi-page minutes that no one reads. Explain how visual thinking (visual notes, whiteboard diagrams, icons) can solve this problem, and what is gained and lost when summarising in this way.

A storyboard is a sequence of panels depicting how a user uses a service. Explain its purpose before launching a product and sketch, describing in words, the first three panels for an app that books electric taxis.

You can do it on paper and send a photo with your answer.

A neighborhood association wants to launch a "library of things" (community rental of tools and DIY machinery) under a self-sustaining circular economy model. For the project not to depend on continuous subsidies, it must fund the maintenance and replacement of equipment through membership fees and usage charges.

1. a) Design the architecture of a systems flowchart (visual business model diagram) without long narrative text. Define the spatial layout of five critical nodes (members/users, tool inventory, maintenance and replacement fund, revenue streams from rentals/fees, and depreciation costs due to wear and tear).
2. b) Justify, using the convention of flow arrows with polarity (+ or -) and distinct line thickness, how the visual diagram demonstrates the following economic dilemma: an increase in usage intensity (turnover) boosts short-term revenue, but can accelerate technical insolvency if the feedback loop to the preventive maintenance fund is insufficient.

An electric micromobility startup presents an impeccable visual scheme at an investor round: a circular diagram illustrating a "virtuous circle" according to which a larger fleet on the streets automatically generates brand visibility, massive user attraction, and exponential profits, concluding that "the model explains itself and a good graphic replaces any cumbersome analysis."

1. a) Refute the company's claim by identifying three essential economic-financial dimensions (at least one referring to the fixed vs. variable cost structure, another to working capital, and another to the regulatory framework/municipal concessions) that are completely concealed within that visual scheme.
2. b) Design the structure of a hybrid decision-making report: justify which two key quantitative metrics must mandatorily accompany the diagram to verify the break-even point and the risk of insolvency, arguing how the visual and analytical elements should be articulated to avoid decisions based on graphical biases.

A digital platform connecting students with verified private tutors is seeking funding to scale. The main risk highlighted by investors is disintermediation: students and tutors meeting in the first class and continuing sessions off the app to avoid the 15.0 % commission fee.

1. a) Design the technical script for a four-panel storyboard (described with operational and economic precision) aimed at investors, showing how the user flow resolves this risk at each stage:

1. Panel 1: Attraction and initial value proposition (algorithmic search and verification guarantee).

2. Panel 2: Booking and secure payment gateway (escrow deposit).

3. Panel 3: Service delivery with exclusive value-added features within the app (class recording, collaborative whiteboard, and cancellation insurance).

4. Panel 4: Cycle closure, retention, and recurring monetization (reputation system, loyalty incentives, and automated settlement).

1. b) Justify why this visual sequence demonstrates that customer lifetime value (LTV) will far exceed customer acquisition cost (CAC).